


Press Play

by TheWrongWriter



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Porn, Creepy fuckers, Director!gabriel, Ecologist!Castiel, Gay Sex, Lots of gay sex, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Violent assholes, lawyer!Sam, mechanic!Dean, mentions of rape/non-con, whodunit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-01-04 21:09:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18351767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWrongWriter/pseuds/TheWrongWriter
Summary: Gabriel Speight wasthename in the adult entertainment industry, known for being the best director to work for and an ally of the International Entertainment Adult Union. Everyone loved him. Well, noteveryone. Someone was framing him for raping an actress at one of his infamous AVN after-parties. Now the industry was torn between defending their beloved director or crucifying him. What Gabriel needed was the best lawyer money could buy.Before Sam Winchester became a high-powered Los Angeles lawyer, he was a skinny orphan being raised by his big brother. He knew law school would be expensive, and he couldn't ask more from his brother than he'd already given him. The most logical option, in his mind, was to do porn. He knew he was good-looking, and he'd make enough to supplement his scholarship.Years later, Sam still has a soft spot for those in the industry, especially the charismatic director who puts his actors and crews above his profits. He agreed to defend Gabriel in court and help him find the truth behind the frame job, not knowing he was the actor that inspired Gabriel. But the closer they come to an answer, the closer they become, and the closer they are to imminent danger.





	1. Rewind

**Author's Note:**

> What's this? New material? _Hell's yeah!_  
>  Buckle up bitches, we're going on a ride!
> 
> Kudos & comments are love & feed my soul :)

_**15 Years Ago** _

"You don't gotta do this, Sammy," Dean told his little- _well, not so little_ -brother as he packed up his room. "I can pick up more hours at Bobby's, or a second job. You ain't gotta stoop to this shit."

Sam just rolled his eyes. "You work too much as it is, Dean. You've been working your ass off to take care of me my whole life. For once, let me do something to help."

"But porn?" Dean asked skeptically, a flush rising on his neck. Sam just shrugged.

When Sam first came across his older brother's porn collection at the age of fourteen, several things crossed his mind. _Why do people do this? Do they actually enjoy it? How much do they get paid?_ Now, at the age of eighteen, he had answers to those questions. People got into porn for all sorts of reasons, including paying their way through school. Some people looked at it as a regular, boring job, while others were in it because they loved sex. And the pay? Well, even the less-popular actors made a couple hundred bucks an hour. But the really popular actors made thousands of dollars per film. Sam did the math-Stanford wasn't cheap and he knew he was a good-looking guy, he could definitely do this.

"What happens when you're a big shot lawyer? This'll come back and bite you in the ass. At least let me help so you don't have to do a lot," Dean pleaded.

Sam just hugged his brother. "I appreciate it Dean, but I just want you to take care of yourself. Take a day off once in a while, get a nicer apartment. Hell, try going to community college," he tried, but Dean just shuddered at the thought.

"Always hated school, not looking for a repeat performance. Besides," he said with a grin, "I love working on cars. I'd rather be broke and happy than rich and miserable. I'll leave that to you when you're busting your ass in court," he finished with a wink, and Sam couldn't help but laugh.

When everything had been packed and loaded into the Impala, Dean locked up the shithole little apartment they'd been living in since their dad wrapped his car around a tree after a night of drinking, leaving a seventeen-year-old Dean to take care of his thirteen-year-old brother. Five years later, Sam was finally getting out. Dean couldn't be happier for him, his brother's plans for covering the expenses that his scholarships didn't cover by making porn aside.

They slid into the car and slammed their doors in tandem, once something they practice but now something that just came naturally. They smiled at each other before Dean started up the car and let out a whoop of excitement. "Watch out for the Winchesters, California!" he said, making Sam laugh, before cranking the stereo and peeling out of the parking lot.

Less than a week later, Sam had his first audition. The studio owner, a man who just went by Crowley, looked him over like a piece of meat.

"Sammy, love, this is a cutthroat business," Crowley purred, and he dragged a hand across Sam's lower back. Sam forced himself not to shiver at the man's touch. "You're definitely a pretty moose, but can you act?"

Sam cleared his throat, hoping his nervousness didn't show. "I did a production of _Oklahoma!_ in high school."

"Really?" Crowley chuckled. "Well then, would it be a stretch to act like you're enjoying what, or _who_ , you're doing?"

"I enjoy sex," Sam replied, a little more confident, "it shouldn't be a problem."

"Ah." was Crowley's reply. "Well, what about if someone were doing _you_?"

Sam's brain screeched to a halt. Crowley must have seen the deer-in-the-headlights look, because he just chuckled.

"You see, Sammy love, straight porn is everywhere, anyone could do it. Amateur couples are constantly making videos and passing them off as art. Here, we cater to a different sort of clientele. They pay top dollar for it, which means you get paid top dollar. Does that interest you?" Crowley asked with a sly grin.

Well, Sam was looking to make as much as he could as quickly as possible. If the pay was really that good, he could get out of the business pretty quickly. Besides, he wasn't a homophobe. It would just take a little getting used to, that's all. Swallowing his nervousness, he nodded, earning him a cheshire cat grin from Crowley.

"Excellent," he said, stepping away from Sam. He picked up a stack of papers from his desk and waggled it in front of Sam cheerfully. "All that's left now is to sign the contract."

\-----

_**10 Years Ago** _

"Four years of film and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UCLA, and you're going to make porn?" Castiel Collins asked his cousin, Gabriel Speight. The two had been inseparable since childhood, both being black sheep in their ultra-conservative family and both coming out as bisexual that leaned more towards men.

"Yup," Gabriel said, popping the p. He looked around the dorm room they'd shared since the beginning of their new lives. Gabriel decided to chase his dream of making movies (porn counted, right?), while Castiel followed a year later to study ecology with a focus on apiology. He'd miss the good times he and Cas had shared here.

With a sigh, Castiel resumed helping Gabriel pack up his belongings. When he pulled a box out of their closet and checked its contents, he held a worn out VHS tape up for Gabriel's inspection. "Toss or keep?"

When Gabriel looked over, he practically jumped to rescue his prized box of VHS tapes from his cousin. Talk about good memories-the old tapes had hand-written labels on them marking them as Sunday morning sermons, but in reality they were the porn tapes that helped him survive the last few months before he and Cas made their escape from their family and got him through the years of focusing on his studies rather than dating. These were the tapes that inspired him to look at careers in the adult film industry, because seriously, he could write better scripts with one hand wrapped around his cock. Especially if he could get and actor like Sammy Love. The kid had only made a handful of videos before he disappeared from the market altogether, but he was by far the best looking actor Gabriel had ever seen. Kid was actually a decent actor, too.

"I'll never understand how you think, Gabriel," Castiel sighed, relinquishing the box.

"If you did, I think you'd try to Clorox your brain," Gabriel said playfully. Castiel sighed and nodded in agreement before they finished packing up their dorm room.

Their next stop would be a nice little patch of land and a two-bedroom ranch-style home they'd purchased out northeast of Burbank; close enough to LA where Gabriel could be close to the industry, but far enough away that Cas could play with his bees to his heart's content.


	2. Fast Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, I'm not posting on a set schedule; I'm posting what I want, whenever the mood strikes me. The creative juices are still flowing like a waterfall though, so expect lots of updates on both _Press Play_ and _Chasing the Sun_ :)

**_Present_ **

Penny Flame and Tom Byron approached the podium in the Vegas amphitheater. After announcing the nominees, Penny ripped open the envelope and announce, "And the AVN award for Best Cinematography goes to… _Gabriel Speight!_ "

The crowd came to life with applause and catcalls, many people giving a standing ovation as Gabriel hugged his cousin before making his way up to the stage to accept his third award of the evening, including Best Director and Best Sex Comedy. He high-fived people as he passed them in the aisles. Taking the steps two at a time, he hugged Penny, who had previously worked on _Casa Erotica 5_ , and shook hands with Tom, who had started out as an actor but Gabriel quickly gave the talented man a position with his film crew, before accepting the award. The applause was dying down, but when Gabriel held the statuette over his head in triumph the audience came back to life. When they all calmed down again, Gabriel gave yet another acceptance speech, this one more heartfelt than the previous two.

"As always, I'd like to thank all of the hardworking actors and actresses and my crew for all of their hard work making me look good," he started, receiving chuckles across the room. "But this one, this is dedicated to my cousin Cassie, without whom I would never have believed I could do any good behind a camera. His never-ending love and support has been a foundation on which I've built my life and my career. Thank you all again!" he finished, waving to the audience as applause erupted again. He made his way back to the table where he'd been seated with his cousin, Castiel standing and waiting to hug him yet again.

"I'm proud of you, Gabriel," Cas told him as he embraced his cousin, to which Gabriel could only hug him tighter and reply, "Thanks, cuz."

While Gabriel usually held his after-parties there in Vegas after the AVN awards, this year he waited until the following night and hosted it at his mansion out in Malaga Cove. The owners of Heaven and Hell Pictures, the studio he worked for, said that with as closely as Gabriel worked with all of their cast and crew, it would be more fitting to hold his soiree closer to home where everyone could attend. Gabriel couldn't disagree, and left all the planning to them.

Gabriel didn't do tasteful, understated parties, much to his cousin's chagrin.

Anyone who was anyone in the adult entertainment industry was there, as well as numerous wannabes and hangers-on. Gabriel didn't know half of their faces and even fewer names, but he stopped to chat amiably with everyone who stopped him. Quite a few men and women flirted with him, more likely looking for an "in" in the business than any other reason. It didn’t matter to Gabriel, he was riding the highs of his career and latest awards.

Gabriel jumped when someone pinched his ass. He turned around and saw a short, curvy brunette with a devilish grin on her face. She held two glasses of champagne in one hand, freeing up the other to grope Gabriel.

"Want some?" she asked, holding out the hand with the glasses. She cocked her eyebrow at him, and he returned it.

"Champagne? Or you?" he asked playfully.

"Yes," was her reply, and she stepped into his personal space. Gabriel took one of the glasses and wrapped an arm around the woman. This was gonna be an interesting evening.

\-----

Sam was woken up at an ungodly hour by his phone blasting _Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap_ , his brother's ringtone.  He picked up his phone to answer it, the time showing just after 10pm. OK, so not an ungodly hour, only to those who don't get to bed before sunrise.

"Wake up Sammy!" he heard his brother yell, laughing. Sam groaned and put the phone on speaker.

"What do you want, jerk? "

"Check the news on your phone," he said cryptically.

"Why? What am I looking for?"

"You'll know it when you see it. I gotta go, Bobby's got me in the shop doing inventory today."

Without even saying goodbye, Sam hung up the call. He pulled up a browser on his phone, and the headlines made him sit up entirely too fast.

**GABRIEL SPEIGHT ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT, RAPE**

_That can't be right_ , Sam thought. Despite only working in the industry for a couple years, he still kept in touch with some of his former coworkers and followed the industry news. Gabriel Speight was the kind of director he'd wished he'd had back in the day. The man was quirky, but nothing about him was predatory. Quite the opposite, in fact; Gabriel Speight went out of his way to take care of his casts and crews, making sure they were all 'happy, healthy, and safe', in his words. He'd seemed too good to be true, but according to Sam's research, the man was the genuine article.

So what the hell happened?

The article he pulled up unfolded a story that sounded nothing like the man he learned about; that Gabriel had been an obnoxious bastard after winning yet another AVN award (three, actually), and when an up and coming actress names Megan Masters turned him down for one of his (supposedly) infamous orgies, he drugged her drink and took what he wanted anyways. When she was found by her manager (who wished to remain anonymous so that he and his other clients wouldn't be harassed) in the middle of the night, he immediately woke her up and called the police. They arrived to find Gabriel still asleep as well, and immediately took him into custody.

Sam snorted. It sounded to him like the manager was trying to either blackmail Gabriel or discredit him. The story sounded entirely too shady in his mind. He flipped to another article, industry reactions to the events of the previous nights. Names he was familiar with and names he wasn't scrolled down his phone giving two different pictures of Gabriel Speight; the man was either an absolute angel or a malicious trickster of the worst kind. He found he names of several people he was still close to falling into the pro-Gabriel camp, which helped Sam confirm his judge of character, despite never meeting the man.

A call from an unknown number interrupted his reading.  "Hello?" he answered politely.

"Is this Sam Winchester?" the gruff voice asked. Whoever it was sounded stressed, but trying to hide it.

"This is, may I ask who's calling?"

"My name is Castiel Collins," the man introduced himself. "I was told you were the best defense attorney in Los Angeles. I, well, my cousin is in need of your services, and money is no object. Are you available?"


	3. Play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another chapter! Remember, Kudos + Comments = Love :)

Gabriel still had no clue what was going on. One minute he was drinking with that curvy brunette and the next the cops here waking him up and cuffing him. According to his cousin, the woman, Meg, had told the police that Gabriel had pulled her upstairs to his bedroom and demanded she put out if she wanted to work in the adult film industry in L.A. When she said no, Gabriel took what he wanted anyways. Cas knew Gabriel didn't do shit like that, and promised to hire him the best lawyer money could find.

So here he sat in an interrogation room at the county jail, waiting for his lawyer to show up. He was surprised his brother was efficient enough to find him a lawyer on a Sunday afternoon, although if they were good or not remained to be seen. Lawyers that showed up on Sundays were either hella expensive or hella new and desperate.

Gabriel's head snapped up when he heard voices outside the door. It opened and two things happened simultaneously-his jaw dropped and his dick stood at full attention.

"Good afternoon," the god said. He was a decade older, more mature, and so was his voice, but Gabriel would recognize the man anywhere. "My name's Sam Winchester. Your cousin, Castiel Collins, retained me to represent you in this matter. He asked me to give you this," he said, removing an envelope from his pocket and handing it to him. Stunned, it took Gabriel a moment to react, but then he was tripping over himself, not at all the smooth, confident director he was supposed to be. He snatched the envelope gracelessly from the taller man and ripped it open; the only thing inside was a Post-It Note that said "You're welcome".

_Oh Cassie_ , Gabriel thought, _you are definitely getting a gift basket_. Cas had not only delivered him a lawyer, but his fantasies and wet dreams, too. Sam Winchester was his muse and the hottest thing he'd ever seen in his life; he was Sammy Love.

\-----

Sam knew that a night in lock up could make even the most composed person seem disheveled, but Gabriel looked positively shell-shocked. From what Castiel had told him and what Sam already knew of the man, Gabriel wasn't a stranger to small indiscretions, but the charges against him seemed far-fetched, if not outright preposterous. He looked over Gabriel's head at the note from his cousin and smiled.

"Your cousin cares a great deal about you, you know. He actually hunted down my cell number to call me directly instead of waiting for my answering service to reach me. He's adamant you haven't done what you're being accused of, and given your reputation, I believe him." Sam gave the dumbstruck man his best confident smile.

"You do?" he stammered. "Wait, my reputation? You know who I am?"

"Absolutely," Sam said, taking the seat across from his new client. He opened the folder of printouts he made this morning. "Gabriel Speight, forty-two, director at Heaven and Hell Pictures, winner of fourteen AVN awards over the past four years." Sam closed the folder and looked Gabriel directly in the eyes. "You also are known for caring about the mental and physical health of all of your actors and crew, have paid for hundreds of medical tests yourself to ensure their safety, have donated millions to the International Entertainment Adult Union, and have advocated for stricter drug and STD testing for the adult entertainment industry to make sure it remains a safe place to work. You're an amazing man, Gabriel, and we'll make sure you're exonerated of all of the charges against you."

The normally eloquent man just sat there, his mouth opening and closing. Then he blurted out, "I love you!" then very quickly slapped his hands over his mouth. Sam had to chuckle at that; the guy must have had a really hard time being in lockup.

"It's okay to be off your game, Gabriel. These are extraordinary circumstances, I don't expect you to be okay. Just be completely honest with me, and don't talk to anyone else. Keep your head down and let me do my job. Okay?" Gabriel just nodded his head, still covering his mouth. "Breathe man, it'll be okay. Now," Sam pulled out a legal pad and a pen, "I was able to get a hold of Judge Matthews to schedule a bail hearing for first thing in the morning. He's a more liberal judge, and from my research is a fan of your charity work, which may or may not work in your favor. Your cousin offered to come by in the morning with a fresh suit for you. _Breathe, Gabriel!_ " At Sam's command, Gabriel dropped his hands from his face and took in a deep lungful of air.

Sam walked around the table, stopping next to Gabriel and squatting down until they were eye-level. He put a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, the man's head comically looking from Sam's hand to his face and back. "One step at a time. Get some rest, clear your head. Remember to keep your mouth shut. We'll get you released on bail, then we'll go over the timeline of events together. Okay?" Gabriel just nodded. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning then." Sam stood up and collected his things, still worried about the man he was representing and wondering if he was still in shock.

He nodded to him before turning to leave, but before he could get out the door he heard Gabriel whisper, "My lawyer is Sammy Love."


	4. Pause

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter in one day, and possibly another one before the end of the day if work stays slow. Enjoy!

 Sam whipped around. "What did you say?" he demanded. Dean warned him years ago that doing porn would bite him in the butt, but he didn't think it would happen like this.

"No, no, no, it's not a bad thing!" Gabriel said, rushing to stand up and console the man. "I love your work! Your tapes got me through a lot, like hiding my sexuality from my family. Not only were you a smoking hottie, but if someone like you could come out of the closet and do gay porn, then so could I! You're the whole reason I went into directing porn to begin with!"

Sam felt like an ass now. He knew a couple of his former castmates looked up to him for his morals and values, and his determination to do what it took to be stable and then move on. He didn't really think about how doing gay porn, which wasn't his idea to begin with, might affect others. And to be the inspiration for a man who was a godsend to the adult film industry? Well, he was kinda honored.

"Gabriel," Sam said, urging the man to calm down and have a seat, "That was a long time ago for me. I did what I did to pay for law school. I'm not an LGBT hero, I didn't even know I was bi until my director told me we were doing gay porn."

"Hold up," Gabriel interrupted. "Your director knew you were straight, but still made you do gay scenes?"

"He didn't make me do anything. I agreed, because it meant more money, and more money meant I could get out sooner."

Gabriel blinked. "So you were just another paid whore." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and it made Sam flinch.

"No, I wasn't. My director wanted me to sell myself, make a few more bucks, but I wouldn't do it. And I wouldn't do scenes bareback either, no matter how much he screamed at me and threatened to disembowel me."

"Sounds like my studio owner, Crowley," Gabriel joked, and Sam froze.

"Fergus Crowley?"

"Yep," Gabriel said, popping the p.

The room got quiet for a few minutes as the gears turned in Sam's head.

Gabriel Speight was a champion for the rights of porn actors. He advocated for mandatory STD testing and condom use laws in the state of California. He contributed to the actors' union to make sure all the actors were not only paid fairly, but only worked under reasonable conditions. All of these things added extra expenses to each film's budget, money that could be going into the studio owners' pockets. Owners like Crowley, who was notoriously greedy, and didn't give a damn about who got hurt as long as he got his. Crowley was Gabriel's boss, and the one who set up the party. He pulled out his phone and sent a group email to his team to meet him at his home right after the bail hearing in the morning. This could get really sticky, really quick, and there was no room for mistakes.

There was a loud knock on the door, followed by an officer. "Mr. Speight, there's a woman here claiming to be your lawyer, she says your studio sent her."

Sam grabbed Gabriel by his shoulders and forced him to look him in the eyes. Very softly, he said, "Gabriel, I need you to forget about my past for the time being. I am your lawyer. I need you to listen to me and follow my instructions to the letter, do you understand?" Gabriel nodded. "Do not talk to anyone else, even if they say I sent you. As much as you love your cousin, don't even talk to him; send him to me and I'll give him any necessary information. Do you understand?" Again, Gabriel nodded. "I'm going to talk to the sheriff here and advise him to put you in a solitary cell. If it doesn't happen, you need to avoid others as much as you can. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Gabriel nodded for a third time. Sam nodded in reply, gathered up his things, and left the room, Gabriel staring after him.

He turned to the petite brunette who was waiting there, supposedly the lawyer sent from Heaven and Hell Pictures. He approached her, slightly squicked out as she leered at him. "Sam Winchester, attorney for Mr. Speight," he offered, distributing his things between both hands so he wouldn't have to offer his for a handshake.

"Ruby Cortese, legal counsel for Heaven and Hell Pictures. Your services are no longer required, Mr. Winchester, I've got it from here," she said with a smirk.

"I've been privately retained by the defendant's family, he won't require representation by his employer."

Ruby just smiled at him in a disturbing way, pulling a file out and handing it to Sam. "By contract, our employees don't retain their own counsel. In any suit or litigation where charges are related to their employment at Heaven and Hell Pictures, such as at a function hosted by the company, the company will provide legal representation."

Sam shifted everything back to one hand to take the document she offered him. He'd go over it with a fine-toothed comb himself, and find a way around it. He nodded at Ms. Cortese and walked off, hoping that Gabriel remembered to keep his mouth shut.


	5. Play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o! Who wants a little Castiel and Dean? :)

Gabriel sat for another hour with his lips zipped while Ruby (fuck that 'Ms. Cortese' shit, he'd seen the woman riding Crowley's cock) tried every tactic she knew and some from Crowley's playbook to find out what he and Sammy (not _Sammy_ , it's _Sam_ now) talked about. She spewed garbage about his contract, what he owed Crowley, about how if he didn't talk Crowley would take it out on the actors at Heaven and Hell. Gabriel almost broke just to tell the bitch off when she started talking about Sammy ( _Sam!_ ) and what he used to do for Crowley. If he said he never sold himself, never did anything but made films, then Gabriel would believe him over this viper.

Finally, the guard was kind enough to kick Ruby out and take him back to the holding cell. It wasn't a private one that Sam said he was going to request, but he did notice a distinct lack of people in there. He laid back on one of the benches there, hands behind his head, and tried to process everything that had happened since the night before. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember anything past that brunette laughing at his jokes, which in all honesty weren't even his best.

"Gabriel."

Gabriel sat up and saw his cousin standing at the bars of his cell. A grin spread across his face, which worried Castiel because in no way should Gabriel be happy about the situation he was in.

"Oh Cassie, thank you _sooooo_ much for the lawyer!" Gabriel gushed, more enthusiastic than Castiel thought he should be.

"You're… welcome?" Castiel was unsure how else to respond. "Sam Winchester came highly recommended by the Dean of Students at UCLA; many of the law students often intern with his firm, then go on to successful careers of their own."

 "That's it?" Gabriel asked his cousin. "That's the _only_ reason you hired him?"

 "Yes?" Again, he had no idea what Gabriel was alluding at. It was no surprise though, Castiel wasn't as up on his pop culture as Gabriel was.

"So you don't know who he is?"

"He's Sam Winchester; Valedictorian of his undergrad class at Stanford, 174 LSAT score, Magna Cum Laude of UCLA law school, senior partner at one of the top five law firms in Los Angeles, and one of the Los Angeles Times' "Most Eligible Bachelors"." Castiel said that last one with air quotes that Gabriel could practically see. _Wait…_

"Sammy's single?" he asked gleefully.

"Sammy?" Castiel asked, head tilted to one side in confusion. "Do you know him?"

Gabriel blinked. "Cassie, are you trying to tell me you don't remember Sammy Love?"

Castiel's eyes went wide. "Your porn star."

"Not mine," Gabriel snorted without adding _but I wish he was_.

"I was unaware, I'm sorry. Would you like for me to retain different counsel for you?"

" _NO!_ " Gabriel yelled, standing up and approaching his cousin at the cell bars. He lowered his voice and told him, "His past is in the past, he's still a damned good lawyer. Look, shit's going down, Sammy told me to keep my mouth shut. You need to go to his place to talk to him about what's going on. You have that info?" Castiel nodded. "Good. And whatever you do, _don't_ talk to anyone else about what's going on, ok?"

"Of course," Castiel agreed. "I will be back in the morning with your suit for court. Did you need to bring me anything else?"

"Really strong deodorant," Gabriel said, scrunching his nose. "I don't wanna smell like _The Green Mile_."

Castiel looked confused again, but agreed, "Of course. I will see you tomorrow." Then abruptly turned and left. Gabriel loved his cousin, he really did, but one of these days his lack of social and pop culture knowledge was gonna get him in trouble.

\-----

"So your client's a fanboy?" Dean asked his brother, sipping on the expensive beer his brother always had in his fridge. He'd've been fine with a Budweiser, but he wasn't gonna bitch if he wasn't paying for it.

Dean had moved out to L.A. the year before when their "uncle" Bobby passed away. He'd gotten killed in a hunting accident, and Dean couldn't deal with life in Kansas without Bobby there. So he loaded up his 1967 Chevy Impala and crashed at his brother's house until he got on his feet. It didn't take him too long; the Impala was the best resume he had, getting him into a shop that was YouTube-famous for their badass restorations. He didn't make as much as his little brother, but he made more now than he ever had back in Kansas.

"He said I was his inspiration for becoming a porn director," Sam replied, taking a sip of his own beer. The two men leaned against opposite counters in Sam's kitchen, shooting the shit and waiting for their food delivery. The brothers got together once a week just to stay current in each other's lives. They were every bit as close now as they had been as kids.

"I don't know if that's awesome or creepy." Dean tilted his head back and polished off his beer. At home he would have tossed the bottle in the trash, but here at Sam's he had to rinse it out and put it in the glass recyclables bin. He pulled another out of the fridge as the doorbell rang. "I'll grab that," Dean said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.

"It's my week, jerk."

"Shut up bitch, I said I got it," Dean said with a smile. He knew his brother (ever the mature one) was sticking his tongue out at him behind his back, so he threw up a one-finger salute as he walked through the living room and opened the front door. The man standing on the other side was absolutely gorgeous.

"I'm looking for Sam Winchester," that deep, throat-fucked voice said, breaking the awkward silence.

"I'm Dean," he said, his brain going offline staring into those blue, blue eyes.

"Hello Dean," he replied with a soft smile. Dean kinda melted and smiled back.

Neither man knew how much time passed as they just stared at each other and smiled, but it was long enough that Sam came looking for Dean and their food.

"Castiel!" Sam said, slapping his brother on the back and breaking their gazes. "How's it going?"

"As well as can be expected, Sam, thank you," he said, and Dean just ate up his politeness.

"Dean, this is Castiel Collins, my client's cousin. Castiel, this is my brother Dean," Sam introduced them. Before they could say anything else, Sam ushered Castiel into his home and started discussing Gabriel, leaving Dean floundering open-mouthed at the front door.

"Hey," Dean heard a voice behind him. He turned around to see the delivery guy holding the bag of to-go containers. As he paid the guy, he hoped there was enough food to invite Cas to stay and join them.


	6. Fast Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain is starting to take off with the finer details, so the next few chapters are gonna come as fast as work lets me. Enjoy!

Gabriel sat at Sammy's ( _Sam's_ ) kitchen table waiting for his cousin to show up with his shit. His leg itched where the ankle monitor was attached, so he grabbed a fork from the dish rack next to the sink and dug it in for a good scratch.

"Dude, gross," Dean said as he walked into the room, Castiel behind him. Dean snatched the fork from Gabriel and threw it into the sink. He handed him a pencil from beside the phone and said, "Have at it."

"I have retrieved the clothes and personal care items you requested. I believe you owe me more than 'one' for some of those items," Castiel said, scrunching his nose as he dropped Gabriel's bag at his feet. Gabriel just grinned up at him.

"Thanks, cuz."

"So that was a shitshow, huh?" Dean commented. Gabriel couldn't help but agree.

The bail hearing was supposed to be simple; Sammy ( _Sam!_ ) would request bail, the prosecutor would posture, and the judge would give him an outrageously high amount of bail that he would be happy to pay so he wouldn't have to crash at the county jail any longer. What really happened couldn't be any farther from the truth.

Rather than Judge Matthews, they ended up in front of Justice Arthur Ketch, one of the state supreme court justices. And rather than one of the district attorneys or ADAs, none other than the state attorney general, Mick Davies, would be prosecuting Gabriel's case. All that firepower set off warning bells for everyone on the defense's side.

Sammy ( _Sam!_ ) had requested bail be set at one million dollars; high but not unreasonable considering the charges. They'd expected the prosecutor to fire back with means to leave the country, evade prosecution, et cetera, to which Sammy ( _Sam!_ ) would argue about his ties to the community. Instead, Mr. Davies presented a VHS tape to play for the court; the camera somewhat obscured as if hidden, with Gabriel (you couldn't see his face, but you could tell it was him by the birthmark on his neck that resembled angel wings) on top of Ms. Masters, her begging him to stop, not to hurt her, she didn't want to be in porn that bad. After seeing that, the judge was not inclined to be lenient with Gabriel.

Sammy ( _Sam!_ ) had argued well, especially since he hadn't had the opportunity to examine the video himself, and for all documents and evidence the prosecutor had be handed over for discovery. He also requested that in addition to bail, that Gabriel be remanded to his care for house arrest until trial, ensuring he was able to build the best case for his client. That flabbergasted Gabriel a little, but he was gonna keep his mouth shut and do whatever Sammy (Sam!) said.

Against the prosecutor's recommendations, Justice Ketch set bail at ten million and remanded Gabriel to Sammy's ( _Sam's!_ ) custody, with daily check-ins with local law enforcement. All evidence would be provided to Sammy ( _Sam!_ ) by the end of the week, and the next hearing for the case was scheduled for two weeks from that day.

To make matters worse, it was a fucking circus outside the courthouse-reporters and cameras crowded the entry, with picketers both for and against Gabriel yelling behind them. As they tried to make it through the crowds to the waiting town car, someone threw a punch and a riot started. Gabriel, Sam, Dean, and Castiel barely made it to the car with nothing more than mussed up wardrobes.

So now Gabriel sat with his cousin and Sammy's ( _Sam's!_ ) brother in his home, while Sammy ( _Sam!_ ) himself was at the office trying to unfuck his life. He sighed and wondered what his life was anymore-he was essentially living with the porn star of his fantasies for all the wrong reasons, and could end up spending the next ten to twenty years in jail. _I'm too pretty for prison_ was his last frantic thought before Dean slapped him upside the back of the head.

"Chill out, dude. Sammy knows what he's doing. There's a reason everyone says he's the best lawyer in Los Angeles-because he is. Everything's gonna be fine."

"I concur with Dean," Castiel chimed in. "Sam will represent you to the best of his extraordinary abilities and everything will resolve itself."

Gabriel wished he could believe them, believe in Sammy ( _Sam!_ ), but he was still as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He had to do something.

"Hey Dean-o, think it's ok if I use the kitchen? I tend to stress-bake."

"Stress-bake?"

"Yeah-breads, pies, cupcakes, cookies-"

"Dude, you had me at pies. Gimme a list and I'll hit the store for you."

The rest of the afternoon was spent filling Sammy's ( _Sam's!_ ) home with the comforting smells of multiple fruit pies as well as a five-course meal for the four of them. As Sam trudged in close to seven, the other three men were sure Sam didn't have good news. He calmly slipped off his shoes, set down his briefcase, undid his tie, then balled it up and violently threw it across the room.

"Meg's dead."


	7. Stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the time lapse and the very short chapter; my creativity was murdered by my depression over the weekend and I'm still trying to resurrect it.

" _Dead?!?_ " Gabriel screeched like a little girl. Dean and Castiel just stared wide-eyed at Sam. "But she was just in the courtroom this morning! What the hell happened?!?"

"She was hit by a car lass than fifteen minutes after leaving the courthouse. It was a hit and run, and Meg was pronounced dead on the scene." Sam wiped a hand down his face, looking much older than his actual age. "She was scheduled to be deposed about the case this afternoon, so I don't think this is a coincidence. I can only assume someone didn't want her to talk to me in private."

All of the men were left speechless, a somber silence filling the room until it just became awkward.

"Welp," Gabriel said, popping the p, "Imma just gonna shower, and while I'm up there I'm gonna make sure all my soap has rope on it." He hitched his thumb towards the stairs as he backed away, resigned.

"It's not that bad," Sam said. Dean muttered a "yet" under his breath and Sam glared at him. "We know you had nothing to do with her death since all the reporters caught us on film leaving the courthouse before it happened. If anything, it's not the worst news because now I can file for a continuance while her death is being investigated. Try to keep your spirits up."

"Because a dead witness is the best way to buy time," Gabriel said sarcastically. "Look, I appreciate everything you're trying to do for me Sammy- _Sam_ -but I don't even remember what the hell happened and the evidence is stacked against me. All I ask is you try to get me the least amount of time possible, this ass wasn't made for prison."

"You're being over-dramatic again, Gabriel," Castiel huffed at his cousin.

"Am I? Am I _really?_ " Gabriel asked pointedly. "Because from where I stand, someone did a damned fine job of framing me and plugging the holes in the story, and despite it looking like a frame job there's no evidence to prove otherwise, so I am royally fucked."

"That's why I'm here," Sam said. He pulled himself up to his full height, a head taller than Gabriel, and looked down at him imposingly. It shouldn't have turned Gabriel on so much, but he couldn't help gauging the distance between his mouth and Sammy's cock. "I'm the best at what I do, and so is my team. There are holes here we might not able to see but my team will find, and we'll unravel these accusations and prove them for the lies they are. You are innocent Gabriel, and I will prove that in court."

Sam going full-on Perry Mason did something for Gabriel, more than young Sammy Love ever did, and he was praying to every deity he could think of that Sam wouldn't notice the now raging erection he was sporting.

He should have included the rest of the room in those prayers, he realized, when he heard Dean chuckle, "down, boy."

Sam looked down, then looked at Gabriel and quirked an eyebrow. "I said keep your _spirits_ up," he joked, and Cas and Dean laughed behind him. Gabriel's face was flaming in embarrassment but he couldn't help laughing at Sam's joke. His attempt at easing the tension in the room worked like a charm, even if it was at Gabriel's expense.

"Go take your shower, take care of the problem in your pants, and don't worry about whether you need to invest in soap on a rope, because you are _not_ going to jail," Sam told him confidently. "Do you trust me?"

Gabriel did, with his life.

\-----

With Gabriel in the shower, he outlined his new plan to Castiel and Dean. He hated dragging his brother into any of his cases, but the man was more intelligent than he took credit for, and his eye for detail frequently helped Sam out. He asked Castiel to go through his cousin's email and calendars and work with Dean to establish behavior and activity patterns that could show this attack was outside of the norm for Gabriel.

With them busy, he slipped into his home office to make a call.

"Hey Charlie, you busy? I need some help on a case."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a series of gunshots rang through the house.


	8. Rewind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated the tagging a little. Also, I know nothing about the industry or labor laws as they pertain to the industry in the state of California, I'm making shiz up as I go along. Enjoy!

_**13 Years Ago** _

"It's in your contract, Samuel, you _will_ do it," Crowley seethed, trying to intimidate the much taller young man.

"No, it's not," Sam argued. "And if it were even alluded to, it would be outweighed by OSHA regulations."

Crowley snorted. "OSHA doesn't apply to pornography, you moose."

"It can be argued that using condoms in porn would fall under OSHA's infectious diseases rules, sections 1910.132 for general requirements for personal protective equipment, 1910.1030 for bloodborne pathogens, and 1910.1200 for hazard communication. And if OSHA doesn't apply, then the state of California's labor laws pertaining to health and safety rights certainly do, which would give me grounds to not only terminate my contract but also sue you for damages." Sam took a deep breath and stared his director down. "So tell me again that I'm not allowed to use condoms for filming."

Crowley threw his clipboard across the soundstage in a fit of rage, his face turning shades of red Sam was sure even art students didn't have a name for. The other actors Sam was working with, two other young men and a young woman, all in various states of undress, cowered at the director's temper, but Sam held his ground. The man might be the biggest name in adult entertainment at the moment, but that didn't mean he could abuse his cast or endanger their health.

The man stuck his finger in Sam's face and yelled, "Get off my set! Get out of my building! Get off of my lot! You are _done_ in this business, and if I ever see you again I will torture you and believe me, no one in the history of torture's been tortured with torture like the torture you'll be tortured with."

Sam just crossed his arms and looked down at the man. "But I have a contract. You're not allowed to fire me until I've completed a full dozen films under safe and reasonable work conditions. I have followed my contract to the letter, despite your arguments that I haven't, and if you terminate me then I could sue the studio for at least ten times the value of my last film."

"Fergus," a man's voice came from the sound booth, "just let the man wear a damned condom and get on with it, we're paying these chuckleheads by the hour."

Sam smiled smugly at Crowley, who looked like he might stroke out at any minute. "Fine," he spat out, and walked back to the cameramen.

"Dude," the taller of his two male costars (Sam thought his real name might have been Jeff) said, "you're either really fucking smart, or really fucking stupid, fighting Crowley like that. But hey, I appreciate it. No offense to you guys, but I hate barebacking."

Sam laughed, "No offense taken. I'm not about to be bullied into putting myself at risk, especially by a guy like that."

The room lights went out and the set lights came on. Their fluffer, Roberta, came out shaking a Ziploc baggie full of condoms and a big grin on her face; this was a win for all of them.  
\-----  
_**7 Years Ago**_

"Heaven and Hell Pictures is going to be the best the adult film industry has to offer," the studio owner, Garth Fitzgerald IV, explained to Gabriel. "We're gonna cater to housewives who want romance with real sex scenes, men with depraved fantasies, and everything in between. Straight, gay, lesbian, transgender, polyamory, masturbation, even what could be considered mainstream movies if they didn't have explicit sex scenes. I see Heaven and Hell as a place where any user on the internet or customer in a store can find whatever they need to be happy with their sexuality. And it'll be great for the actors and crew, too, with all the new laws about to be passed for industry safety and health." Garth beamed brightly, awfully proud of his new studio. Rightfully so, Gabriel thought, if it follows through.

Since graduating from UCLA, Gabriel only had a handful of indie films under his belt. None of the established studios were interested in deviating from the norm, staying with tried and true directors and producers putting out formulaic films that pretty much anyone desperate for something above amateur videos would pay for.

Gabriel wanted better than that. The world deserved _great_ porn!

And here was this mousy man who looked straight-laced as anything, telling him about his inspiration to open Heaven and Hell studios; his wife, Bess, was getting bored in the bedroom, but the available porn out there made them both cringe with secondhand embarrassment. She told him what she'd like to see, and because he loved his wife and would give her anything, he came up with the idea of making porn that she would like.

Of course, her happiness over that led to children numbers two and three.

"And we've got high-stakes companies providing capital, executive producers flush with cash, big name actors and directors. We're gonna hit the ground running!" Garth pulled up short as they entered a green-lit studio. Gabriel checked out the sound stage, it definitely looked more high-end than any of the other production houses he'd worked at. "We even got Fergus Crowley from Leviathan Studios to come on board! He was really excited for this new opportunity," he said proudly.

Of course Gabriel knew who Fergus Crowley was, he was a famous director a few years back, his successes petering out after Sammy Love left the industry. He just couldn't find that kind of talent anywhere else.

"I like to think of Crowley as our King of Hell; he'll handle all of our deviant kink films," Garth explained. "I think you'd be better on our Heaven side, our very own archangel providing real-life fantasies. Sound good to you?"

Gabriel grinned. "Sounds perfect."


	9. Fast Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check it out, another chapter! I didn't wanna leave y'all hanging over the long weekend. Enjoy the chapter and see y'all next week!

"Get down!" Dean yelled, pulling his brother and Cas to the floor. They all ducked behind the kitchen island until the room fell quiet.

"The fuck did you get yourself into, Sammy?" Dean asked his brother incredulously.

"Where's Gabriel?" Cas asked, wide-eyed with fear.

"I don't know," was Sam's answer to both men at the same time.

"Everyone still alive down there?" Gabriel yelled from the top of the stairs.

More gunfire erupted, which only seemed to piss off Dean even more. Without getting up, he reached his hand up on top of the kitchen island and felt around until he found what he was looking for. Keys in hand, he pushed the alarm button, adding to the cacophony of chaos. Maybe the plan was to scare off the shooters, maybe not, but regardless of what Dean's plan was the gunfire ceased and they heard car doors slamming and tires squealing.

Dean clicked the alarm on the key fob again with a _chirp chirp!_ and the only sounds left in the kitchen were everyone's ragged breaths.

"We need to get out of here," Dean said, " _now!_ "

"I need to get my files," Sam said at the same time Castiel said, "I need to get Gabriel."

"Go!" Dean flagged off Cas, and the man took off running up the stairs. Dean tried helping Sam salvage the papers scattered across the kitchen, but Sam waved him off.

"Grab all the phones, put them in the gun safe, and grab as many weapons as you can," Sam told his brother, who nodded and took off.

After a minute, Castiel came down the stairs dragging Gabriel, still wet from his shower and only wearing a pair of jeans, barefoot and carrying his boots in one hand and his duffel in the other. Sam re-entered the kitchen opposite them with at least two rifles slung over each shoulder and three handguns stuffed into his waistband. He had a reusable grocery bag from Whole Foods Market stuffed with ammunition hanging off his elbow.

"What happened to 'leave the gun, take the cannoli'?" Gabriel quipped.

Castiel just looked at his cousin and said, "I do not understand that reference."

The whole room was dead silent for a moment as they all looked at Castiel, then Gabriel and Dean said simultaneously, "Seriously?!?"

"Come on guys," Sam said, getting their attention. "We'll take the Tahoe." The four men hurried out to the garage and loaded up in Sam's Chevy Tahoe, with Dean driving, Sam riding shotgun, and Cas and Gabriel in the middle seat. Dean did _not_ fuck around when it came to driving, and beat a hasty retreat as they headed north.

"We need to stop at a Walmart and pick up a burner phone so I can call Charlie and Jo," Sam said. "They need a heads up, and we need a safe house."

"You can just use my phone," Gabriel said, and he dug around in his bag and pulled out his iPhone X. Dean reached back with one hand and snatched it from him, throwing it out the window as he made a U-turn.

"Hey!" Gabriel yelled indignantly.

"It's got a GPS chip, dumbass," Dean told him. "Why do you think we left all our phones back at the house?" Gabriel didn't have a reply to that.

"May I ask a stupid question?" Castiel asked.

"Yeah, go ahead Cas," Dean said.

"Who were they actually aiming at?"

Dean and Sam looked at each other as silence filled the SUV. It didn't make sense to kill Gabriel if someone was trying to frame him. Were the shooters just trying to scare them or make a point? Or were they trying to eliminate Gabriel's lawyer, who just happened to be the best in Los Angeles? Or was it completely unrelated? Everything was going off the rails at this stage of the game, and Sam had no clue what was going on anymore.

"Let's just get settled and get in touch with the team," he said, fatigue now evident in his voice. "Once we're safe, we'll start trying to figure out what the hell is going on."

Dean drove another 30 minutes south along I-110 until they got to the exits for Compton. He pulled into an AutoZone on East Compton Boulevard and parked the Tahoe behind a dumpster.

"Sammy," Dean said, taking charge, "you head across the street to that drugstore and grab us a few burner phones. Cas, Gabriel, you guys stay here and stay low. I'm gonna go grab us some supplies and snacks."

Gabriel's head popped up. "Chocolate?" Cas shook his head, but Dean just chuckled and said, "Sure."

Dean and Sam left to complete their tasks, leaving Castiel and Gabriel alone with their thoughts and each other.

"Can you think of any reason why anyone would want to frame you for rape, let alone start killing people who stand in the way of you getting convicted?" Castiel asked his cousin. Gabriel just sighed, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"No clue, cuz," Gabriel said. He honestly had no idea. He knew that competition for the higher-paying jobs in the industry was fierce, and he'd made quite a name for himself over the last five years, but he couldn't imagine anyone being this vindictive over it.

"I wonder how Dean can take all of this in stride?" Cas thought out loud. "I thought he was a mechanic."

"Oh?" Gabriel quipped, eyebrow arched. "You've spent an awful lot of time getting to know _Dean_. I mean, he's pretty, I guess, if you're into that kind of man. Is _Dean_ the kind of man you're into, Cassie?"

Cas kept a straight face despite the slight flush. "The man is interesting, and he has been incredibly useful in the course of this case. I was only wondering where his confidence in unusually dangerous situations came from."

Gabriel shrugged. "Don't care as long as he keeps it up. I'm all for it so long as it keeps me alive long enough to give me a shot at climbing Sammy like a tree."

"Must you always be so crude, cousin?" Castiel asked, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, come on Cassie! I've seen the way you looked at _Dean_. I know you'd love to get on your knees and worship his-"

A knock on the window startled them, Dean standing there with plastic bottles of sodas in his hand and several bags in the other, a wide smile on his face. Cas became a few more shades of red and Gabriel opened the door for Dean.

"I hope you guys are good with Coke, because I don't do that diet shit," he said as he handed out the drinks. "I've also got chips, Slim Jims, and some Snickers bars, because I'm not myself when I'm hungry," he joked, winking at Cas. Castiel just tilted his head to one side and squinted at Dean, confused. Gabriel just rolled his eyes.

"Pop culture references are lost on Cas, Dean-o; the poor guy doesn't even own a TV."

Dean's jaw drops. "Dude, when this is all over, I am gonna have to give you a crash course in pop culture."

Sam walked up behind Dean and popped him in the back of the head. "Wait until the case is over before you start hitting on my clients," Sam warns, giving his brother his best bitchface. Now Dean is turning red and mumbling as he stows his purchases in the rear cargo area and Sam gets comfortable in the passenger seat. He's just finished activating one of the phones when Dean gets back into the driver's seat.

"We ready to go, Sammy?" Dean asked, craning his neck to see who Sam is texting. "Does Her Highness have a safe place for us?"

"She said to head south on I-710 and we'll get an address in an hour. In the meantime," Sam said, plugging the phone into a car charger and pulling out his ruffled paperwork, "we need to figure out what's actually going on so we can figure a way out of it."


	10. Play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay! I finally got a better job, but I'm working assloads of hours, and then I got a promotion, which means less hours. Life should balance itself out shortly and I hope to be writing more consistently. Enjoy!

Almost an hour in, Sam received a call on his burner phone.

"Head down to Harbor Boulevard then go south. We're heading to the San Pedro Fish Market," he told his brother.

"What's down there?" Gabriel asked from the back.

"We're meeting someone from my team; she's been checking some leads," he told everyone. "She also wants to make sure we're all in one piece."

Dean laughed. "Charlie should know by now it takes a lot more than a little gunfire to take us down."

"Why is that?" Castiel asked seriously. "You seem to be well prepared for situations such as this, and it's slightly disconcerting. Usually the only people who are quick to think during violent situations are those accustomed to them."

"You're not wrong there, man," Dean answered. "Our dad was an asshole, but he was also a Marine. He made sure we could handle ourselves in a fight before we hit puberty."

Talking about their dad didn't do anything to help calm Sam's nerves. His mind was already consumed with the day's events and everything leading up to them, and thinking about the past didn't help. Yes, their dad had taught them both a lot of what Dean would think of as useful skills, but that didn't outweigh the Hell they had to live through with him in the years following the house fire that took their mom's life. He'd unpack those Daddy Issues another time.

"So what did Charlie have to say?" Dean asked, changing the subject.

"She just said that we'd have to see it to understand. Apparently, there's so much more going on behind this that it requires a Power Point presentation." Sam rolled his eyes. Charlie always was a bit on the dramatic side, but her hacking skills were unmatched as far as Sam was concerned. At least employing her kept her from going back to the illegal corporate hacking she'd done for most of her teenage years (he hoped).

Gabriel and Castiel, for their parts, were at least not freaking out. If either of them had panicked and chose to do their own thing, he wouldn't have been able to keep them safe. And that was the thing, wasn't it? He'd known Gabriel for a short time but already felt like he needed to protect the man with everything in him. The man was extremely charismatic despite the circumstances, and although he rarely dated men, he'd at least like to get to know Gabriel in a normal setting. He'd have to get them through this situation to get to that point, though.

Sam pulled off Harbor Boulevard and headed to the Sampson Way parking garage closest to the market. He wasn't keen on parking in an enclosed space like that, and neither was Dean if his anxious observation of all the exits was any indication. He found a decent place to park that gave them a good exit from both directions and backed into the space before killing the engine. He texted Charlie to see if she could come to them; they were well out of range of Gabriel's ankle monitor now and Sam was worried about them going to an open, exposed public place. 

Less than five minutes later, a bright yellow VW Beetle screeched into the parking garage, barely slowing down as it careened into the parking spot next to Sam's. A flamboyant woman with red hair jumped out, ran towards the driver's side window, stopped halfway, returned to her car to retrieve something, then rushed back to Sam.

"Ohmygods Samuel, you will _not_ believe the amount of shit you stepped in," Charlie said breathlessly. She thrust an iPad into his hands through the window and said, "The passcode is the date we met. _Don't_ lose that!" Then without anymore fanfare she threw up a Vulcan salute, hopped back into her car, and peeled out. Sam shook his head at her dramatics before turning to the iPad in his hands.


End file.
